Collapsible display rack or stand.



No. 704,34l. Patented July 8, i902.

F. C. JOHNSTON 81. G. N. MERRILL.

COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY RACK 0B STAND.

(Application filed Aug. 28, 1901,)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

m: Noam: PEYERS ca, PNOYO-LITHQ. wAsmNc'roN. v c.

N0. 704,34l. Patented July 8, I902.

F. C. JOHNSTON 81. G. N. MERRILL. GOLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY RACK OR STAND;

(Application fllad Aug. 28, 1901.)

(N 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

masea, L Yaw/1172;;

n s PETERS co. wom uwo. WA =HNG N. .c.

Patented July 8, I902.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

. 5 mm V a z 1 m: mums vzrzns c0, Pnm'oumou WASHINGTON. a c.'

No. 704,34l.

F. C. JOHNSTON 8:. G. N. MERRILL. COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY RACK 0R STAND;

QApplication filed Aug. 23, 1901.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK C. JOHNSTON AND GEORGE N. MERRILL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO THE NATIONAL BISCUIT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEI/V JERSEY.

COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY RACK OR STAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 704,341, dated July 8, 1902.

Application filed August 23, 1901. Serial No. 731061. (No model.)

T (0U 107mm it m y OOTbOflYW/I ignates as an entirety the base or support of Be it known that we, FREDERICK C. JOHN- our improved stand, which comprises a plane STON and GEORGE N. MERRILL, citizens of top 7, constituting the lower shelf of the the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in stand, this top 7 being secured and supported the county of Kings and State of New York, by outwardly-flaring side and end pieces 8 55 have invented certain new and useful Imand 9, respectively, the base as a whole being provements in Collapsible Display Racks or rectangular in form and having the meeting Stands, of which the following is a specificaends of its side and end pieces 8 and 9 preftion. erably mitered, as shown in Fig. 4:. For the 10 Our invention relates to display racks or sake of greater rigidity and as an auxiliary 6o stands such as are conveniently adapted to lateral support for the corner-uprights of the hold and exhibit in an attractive manner arti-' frame we preferably connect the opposite side cles of merchandise which have been packed pieces 8 of the base near their ends by transfor the market in boxes and cartons of pasteverse sills 10, as shown in Fig. 5, and to the board, tin, and the like and suitably sealed upper edges of the sills 10 the floor-piece 7is 65 and labeled to preserve the freshness of the preferably secured by screws 11. contents-such as crackers, biscuit, fancy Through the top or fioor 7 of the base at its cakes, and like manufactured articles of food; four corners we mortise four holes 12, these and the principal object of our invention is latter being preferably square or polygonal to provide a rack or stand of this character, in cross-section, their inner edges being sub- 70 well adapted for the use above mentioned and stantially in vertical line with the outer faces other kindred uses, which shall be light, of the underlying sills 10, as shown in Fig. 5. strong simple, and durable in construction Through the holes 12 are passed the lower and which shall possess the further capability ends of four uprights or corner-posts, (desigof being easily and quickly knocked down nated by 13,) each of which postsis made in a 75 and set up and the parts or elements of which plurality of sections, (herein shown as two,) when in knocked-down or collapsed condition the upper and lower sections of these posts are capable of being assembled in close and being designated by 13 and 13, respectively. compact order, whereby the device may be The meetingends ofthe sections 13 and 13 easily crated for shipment and when thus are united, preferably on their outer faces, 80 crated will occupy a minimum of space and by ordinary strap-hinges 14:, whereby when possess a minimum of weight relatively to the the stand is dismantled and knocked down carrying and exhibiting capacity of the dethe upper sections 13. of the corner-posts vice when set up and in operative order and may be folded down to lie against and paralposition. lel with their companion lower sections 13*. 85

To these and other ends our invention re- The two uprights 13 at each side of the sides in a collapsible rack or stand having stand are connected atsuitably-spaced interthe peculiar features of construction and relavals by transversely-disposed rounds 15,these tive arrangement of its several parts or elelatter serving the double function of mutu- Inents,all ashereinafterclearlydescribed,and ally bracing the uprights and maintaining 9o pointed out in the appended claims. their proper relative disposition and also of In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 supporting the ends of a series of shelves 16, represents a front elevation of our improved extending within and from side to side of the stand, showing the same set upIand in operframe. In order to secure the shelves 16 ative position. Fig. 2 is a side or edge eleagainst either lateral or longitudinal dis- 5 vation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan placement, the ends of the shelves are morview on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top tised out, as shown at 17, so that when the plan View of the base detached, and Fig. 5 is shelves are in position in the stand the mora bottom plan view of the base. tises will engage the side and inner faces of Referring to the drawings in detail, 6 desthe uprights 13, that portion of the end of Ion the shelves lying between the two uprights on each side of the frame resting upon the rounds 15, which latter form the vertical supports of the shelves and their contents. The shelves 16 may be further secured against vertical displacement relative to the corneruprights, if desired, by means of screws 18, passed through either or both of the front and rear overlapping ends of the edge portions of the shelves and screwing into the underlying faces of the uprights. This latter provision also serves to maintain the upper sections of the uprights in'plaee and prevent their spreading apart or folding down upon the lower sections when the stand is in operative form.

To further strengthen and render more rigid the elements of the stand when assembled in operative relation, we employ one or more diagonally-disposed braces 19, applied to the rear of the stand and connecting the several shelves thereof at points intermediate .their ends. These braces 19 may conveniently be secured directly to the rear edges of the shelves by screws 20, as shown. The upper ends of the top sections of the uprights may also be connected by a transverse strip or plank 21, removably secured at its ends to the upper ends of the front or rear corner-posts of the frame on opposite sides of the stand. This strip orplank 21 thus serving as a tie-bar is preferably made in the bent or arched form shown in Fig. 1, this latter form alfording a more attractive and finished appearance to the top of the stand, as Well as furnishing a convenient background for words or symbols designating the articles carried by the stand and their source of manufacture.

It will be observed that the lower ends of the uprights 13, which pass through the holes 12 in the corners of the base, lie against the proximate outer faces of the sills 10, thereby contributing to the rigidity and firmness of the support of the superstructure in its base, it being, however, observed that the superstructure is not supported Vertically on the base, since the lower ends of the uprights are designed to rest on the floor or other foundation on which the stand is supported. The principal function of the base it will thus be seen is to afford a lateral support for the superstructure.

On each corner of the under face of the base is preferably applied a small triangular-shaped block 22, which blocks serve to prevent the stand from rocking wherever the floors are uneven.

It will be seen that the construction of the stand as hereinabove described is such as enables the parts or elements to be easily and quickly separated and disassociated when the stand is to be taken down for shipment or storage and also enables the stand with equal facility and dispatch to be assembled and set up in operative position. A particular fea ture of the construction and one upon which we lay considerable emphasis resides in the formation of all of the several elements of substantially the same length and having plane flat and for the most part parallel surfaces on all sides and edges thereof. From this it will be understood in how simple and compact a manner the device is capable of being crated for shipment or storage. The uprights when folded are slightly less than the length of the base. The several shelves are substantially the length of the base, as are also the braces 19. The tie-bar 21 does not exceed the length of the base and when laid on its side does not overlie the lines marking the width of the base. The whole stand, therefore, when knocked down can be packed in very small compass,with the parts closely assembled side by side, thus making it convenient and inexpensive for shipment from the place of manufacture to the place of use or from one place of use to another. Owing to the light and skeleton formation of the stand it is excellently adapted for the full display of the goods disposed thereon, the wrappers of such goods not being concealed from view to any appreciable extent by the framework of the stand, and hence beingcapable of a maximum display. Being designed more especially to hold and display packages of bakery products, which are light and usually put up in sealed receptacles of uniform shape and size, the stand constructed as above described afiords ample strength and efficiency for such uses. Our invention, however, is obviously not limited to its em* ployment in connection with any particular class of goods or articles to be carried thereby, since it might be used to contain books or other articles for which its shelves oifer a convenient and readily-accessible support.

Our invention is not limited to the precise means and manner herein shown and described of joining and connecting the several separable elements of the stand, since these may be considerably varied within the judgment and skill of the maker without departing from the collapsible characteristic and the capacity for crating in a minimum space and with a maximum degree of compactness, which constitute the leading features and distinguish the underlying principle of our invention.

lVe claim as our invention- 1. A collapsible display rack or stand comprising in combination a rectangular base, a series of uprights formed in a plurality of hinged sections and at their lower ends supported in said base, a series of suitablyspaced rounds connecting the uprights at each side of the structure, a series of shelves resting on said rounds and cut out at their ends to engage said uprights, and one or more diagonally-disposed braces secured to and uniting the rear edges of said shelves, substantially as described.

2. A collapsible display rack or stand, the same having a base, a series of hinged uprights or corner-posts removably supported therein, a series of removable shelves carried by said uprights, a removable tie-bar connecting the upper ends of said uprights on opposite sides of the structure, and one or more diagonal braces connecting the shelves along their rear edges, the elements enumerated being all of substantially the same length whereby they may be compactly assembled when the stand is knocked down, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. A collapsible display rack or stand comprising in combination a rectangular hollow base having square holes formed through the top at the several corners thereof, two pairs of hinged and foldable uprights square in cross-section and at their lower ends passing through said holes in the base, a series of suitably-spaced rounds rigidly connecting the FREDERIOK C. JOHNSTON. GEORGE N. MERRILL.

Witnesses:

WV. F. HARTLEY, V. A. SHERIDAN. 

